Standoff ends; suspect in custody

The suspect of a three-hour standoff was taken into custody Thursday evening less than 10 minutes after the Spokane SWAT Team fired chemical agents into a home near Broadway and Nettleton to coax that man out.

On Thursday at about 3:30 p.m., Spokane police attempted to serve a felony arrest warrant for assault on the suspect, identified by police as 27-year-old Maceo Williams.

Williams ducked into a home in the 2300 block of West Broadway and, concerned about prior convictions for second-degree assault and riot with a deadly weapon, as well as thinking he could have a firearm, police called for the SWAT Team and negotiators to assist with apprehending Williams.

"I don't know, it's kinda scary...considering we got babies, everyone has children around here," said Tina Flansburg, who watched the SWAT Team from her front porch.

Spokane Police Sgt/ Jason Hartman said at 6:30 p.m. they were inserting a robot armed with a phone into the house to establish communications with Williams to try and talk him out of the residence.

A half hour later six loud booms were heard and police confirmed they had fired a chemical agent into the house in an attempt to and coax Williams out of the house.

"You could see gas pouring out of it," said Jacob Vandyke, who lives across the street from where the house.

"About five minutes later, Williams ended up walking out the front door, turned around, hands behind his head, and walked straight to the SWAT truck, and then they grabbed him," Vandyke said

Spokane Police Department have advised people to stay out of the area near Broadway Foods in the West Central neighborhood. Broadway Foods closed due to the standoff.

This is the second time in eight months Williams has been involved in a standoff with the SWAT team. In December, Williams was one of three suspects arrested after a six-hour standoff at a North Spokane apartment complex. At the time, Williams and the other suspects were wanted for allegedly beating up a 22-year-old woman and attempting to choke her.